A Moment
by bjorkChild
Summary: A short moment between two people set in episode 7. MugenxJin. Not related to my Sea of Love. Oneshot. Please R


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Samurai Champloo or any of the characters!

**A/N**: This fic has NOTHING TO DO with "Sea of Love". I just had to get this out of my system because I thought it was a beautiful idea. It's set in episode 7, when they slept in the stable for the night and Jin awakes to find Fuu gone and Mugen sprawled out on the ground asleep. 

**"A Moment**"

He awoke as the soft rays of light poured in through the rafters and cracks in the old, rotted wood of the abandoned farmhouse. He hadn't cared to lay down on the molded hay that made up the floor of the stable, but the man across from him had thrown caution to the wind and was lying hap-harzardly on the ground, sleeping, sprawled across the rotted hay. He was snoring softly, occasionally grunting but still fast asleep.

Jin shifted, sitting upright and popping his back. He had slept like he always did- not too comfortably. He hadn't felt much more energized since when he had fallen asleep, and his stomach grumbled constantly now. He replaced his swords back at his belt- when he slept he always held them close to his body, ready to fight if they were rudely awakened in the middle of the night- and suddenly realized that Fuu was nowhere in sight. He sighed to himself, only half-concerned for her whereabouts and more irritated than anything at her disappearance. Maybe she had gone to try and find that pickpocket boy again.

Jin suddenly found himself staring at the half-dead body across from him in the hay. It annoyed Jin how unprepared and careless Mugen was- he would be an open target to any possible attack in the night- if he even _heard _it, that is.  
He was such a heavy sleeper it was ridiculous, and Jin had no idea how Mugen had made it this far in life without getting himself killed. It really angered him for another reason; other than sheer annoyance and the fact that everything Mugen did aggravated Jin, he was angry at Mugen for doing a disservice to his own self. Mugen was a better fighter than that, an extraordinary fighter, now that Jin thought about it, and that fact that any lumbering idiot carrying a sword could come in and do it in for Mugen made him angry. Mugen deserved better than that. He had earned his fighting abilities and talents, and he was so careless with it.

And then Jin thought about it more. Maybe Mugen slept like he did was because Jin himself was such a light sleeper, and the samurai would hear any intruder and deal with him henceforth. Perhaps Mugen was, usually, a light sleeper like himself, but with this journey they had been traveling for months, he felt he could sleep, _really _sleep, now that others could deal with nightly thugs. Jin thought that strangely trusting of Mugen, especially since they both hated each other. The fact that Mugen would trust Jin with his life seemed rather...friendly. And they were far from friends. Hell, they wanted to _kill _each other. So why would Mugen sleep so deeply in Jin's presence, trusting that the samurai wouldn't toss out their promise to Fuu and slice his throat in his sleep..

Well, first of all, he was a samurai, and he wouldn't stoop so low as to kill such a worthy opponent in his sleep. If they wanted a proper killing, they would face each other in daylight, in a proper fighting match. Jin wouldn't have it any other way. And then...he felt a loyalty to Mugen. They had saved each other's skin's for the past few months, and had some fun times along the way. They had lived on the road, on the streets, doing crazy things for food and shelter. This loyalty kept him, really, truly, from killing him on the spot. He wasn't too sure he wanted to kill the best fighter he had ever met. 

And then Jin thought about it more and thought the idea of Mugen being a light sleeper at all was ridiculous. He guessed he had survived by sheer luck.

Still Mugen slept and still Jin stared at him. He began outlining his body, studying ever line, crease, and muscle. He had never been able to before now, with Fuu always hanging around. He tried to find the source to Mugen's talent and ability. He studied his legs, the blue tattoos at his ankles. His legs and calves were lean and toned, and he could barely make out his sinewy thighs before they disappeared into his grayish-green shorts. His dirty, whitish shirt had lifted slightly, showing his midriff. He could almost count his abs, chiseled into his tan stomach; he was so thin, though, that Jin felt he could break him in half. His arms were sprawled, and covered mostly by his red coat, but from the elbows down he could study..His arms were much like his calves, lean but well-toned, and Jin could make out the distinct line his muscles made. Then..Jin now knew where the source must have come from. His blue tattoos, like at his ankles, inked around his thin wrists which gave way to his large hands. Jin could make out his calluses, his long, bony fingers, and rough palms. His hands could tell stories, of the living on the streets for years, of fighting and angst and pain. He could make out tiny scars, the dirt underneath his fingernails, and knew why he was so skilled- it was his hands.

And then Jin found himself looking again. He was looking at Mugen's face, studying his face now.. His stubbly chin, his sideburns, his messy black hair. In some ways, though, his face was as hard as his hands. His eyes, Jin knew, even without studying them, were wild, stray-dog's eyes that yearned for life and yet were full of anger. But he also knew that when there was a fight, or when Mugen had triumphed over something, or when he was having fun or was happy, they lit up and Jin couldn't help but smile every time, because they were so different from the norm. Sometimes Jin wanted one of the aforementioned to happen, desperately, just so he could see Mugen's eyes light up and he didn't have to see his normal, cold, stone ones..

Mugen suddenly gave a loud grunt, breaking Jin from his thoughts, and the samurai blushed slightly, having realized he had stared at him for such a long time. He was glad, though, that he _had _watched him and studied him, had taken the time to do so. Mugen really was...a beautiful creature. Part of Jin didn't want anything bad to ever happen to Mugen, wanted to protect him from anything that ever came their way. Part of him wished that Jin would be the one to watch over him in his sleep always, and have Mugen trust him to take care of the night dangers.

But….He knew it could never be so. He knew his feelings for Mugen, though hidden deep inside himself and deep in his heart, nothing could ever happen. He knew Mugen could never feel the same about Jin; he was too masculine, too bull-headed. Even Jin was a bit uncomfortable with his feelings; he remembered when he first realized them. He had thought he was going crazy, because he absolutely hated Mugen. He still did, in fact, but…it was different. Now there wasn't so much resentment; more like… a mutual drive to annoy each other, like an old, senile married couple…What a funny turn of events…

He also knew they were only a dream because he knew Mugen's heart belonged to another. Jin had seen the way Mugen looked at Fuu, how he acted like he didn't care and was cool and nonchalant around her. But his gaze told everything. He looked at her with an almost awestruck, enraptured gaze sometimes, and he was more protective of her than he showed. Jin also knew he worried about her constantly; whenever she was gone he would pace sometimes and mutter things about how stupid she was, his eyes full or worry and anxiety. But only around Jin. The moment Fuu would turn up he'd ignore her or call her some berating name and act like she meant nothing or didn't even exist. Jin knew the truth, though. He knew Mugen really loved _her._

That's why Jin was glad Fuu was gone this morning. He could watch Mugen, look at Mugen, study him, have him all to himself. It was now that he could imagine what could have been, if any of it was a possibility. He enjoyed thinking about such unrealities, such dreams. He was content to just sit and stare and protect the sleeping Mugen, and enjoy the trust he gave him while doing so. He thought about such things, and a small smile played across his face.

Mugen gave another loud grunt, which jolted him out of his sleep. He sat up groggily, smacking his lips and rubbing the back of his head, eyes half open. He yawned and popped his back before looking around sleepily,

"Where's Fuu?" he said hoarsely.

Jin shook his head, "I don't know. She was gone when I woke up, about a half hour ago."

Mugen nodded and sat up, still half-asleep sitting with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees. They were silent for a long time, Jin, unable to tear his eyes away, Mugen none the wiser. After a minute Mugen looked up and caught Jin's gaze, and for longer than he'd care to admit, they didn't break each other's stare. There was a pause and then they both jolted, as if realizing what had happened, and both looked away hastily, both blushing very slightly, although it showed more on Jin and his pale skin than Mugen's tan face. Awkward silence, until Mugen cleared his throat,

"So..um, yeah…You think we should go look for Fuu?"

Jin shrugged, "It doesn't matter. I suppose she went to go look for that pickpocket again,"

At the word "pickpocket" Mugen's eyes suddenly lit up (which spread a warm satisfaction all throughout Jin's body) and he growled, standing up to head for the door,

"That's right, we still gotta find that bastard. Come on, let's get outta-"

But Mugen was cut short when he felt a hand warp around his wrist, grabbing and stopping him in his tracks. He turned around,

"What IS it Jin?" he said in irritation.

But his voice cut off when he turned and was staring straight into Jin's face, who had stood up and grabbed his arm. His face was dark and intense; his eyes behind his glasses were hard and determined. Without pause Jin leaned forward and pressed his lips roughly against Mugen's own, who looked utterly shocked and stunned, but didn't pull back from the kiss. For a moment, he even leaned into it and savored as Jin's tongue played all around his mouth, tasting him, tasting each other.

They pulled back, both stunned and eyes wide. Even Jin looked like 'what the hell did I just do?'

Mugen furrowed his brows and looked down, scratching his head. And when Jin began to apologize, he waved his hand aside and Jin's voice wavered. He looked up, finally, breaking the extremely awkward moment and- much to Jin's surprise and relief- he broke a wry smile.

"Come on," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the door, "Let's find Fuu and that damn pickpocket."

He turned and slipped his sword on, pocketing his hands and heading for the exit. Jin paused before smiling and following him outside and into the sunlight.

**Fin.**

**A/N: **I wrote this like I did because all the MugenxJin I've read so far have been mostly Mugen coming onto Jin. I thought about it, though, and decided that if they did have a thing for each other then I thought Jin would have come out first. I thought Mugen was just too masculine to actually admit it and Jin would be more honest with his feelings. Eh, just my two cents. Hope you liked! And like I said, it HAS NOTHING TO DO with "Sea of Love". Thanks and please review!


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